Improvement in apparatus for drying white lead



E. L..MOR S E. Apparatus for' Drying White-Lead. N0.1,55,539.

Patented Sept. 29,1874.

mvmron:

ATTE sT:

- E RAPHI: COJHOiD-l-ITNJBL dunk Pucsmx.

UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

EDMUND L. MORSE, OF ST. LOUIS, MO., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TOTHE SOUTHERN WHITE LEAD AND COLOR WORKS, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING WHITE LEAD.

Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. 155,539, datedSeptembir29, 1874; applicationfiled May 8, 1874.

i To all whom it may coaccrni ber, and open at the ends to verticaltrunks,

into which the sectionalconveyers' extend, and through which thematerial passes downward from the discharging end of each cylinder(except the bottom one of the series) to the receiving end of thecylinder beneath it, the material passing through the cylinder fromright to left alternately, and an air-blast passing through the seriesof cylinders in a direction opposite to that of the material to bedried. The second part of my invention consists in the combination, witha vertical series of horizontal cylinders, of vertical trunks placed atthe ends of the cylinders to conduct the material from one cylinder tothe other, and a closed receiver for the accumulation of the driedmaterial, and to prevent the escape of air. The third part of myimprovement consists in a cylinder partly filled with liquid, and havingrotating therein a shaft carrying cones, spirals, or disks of platemetal or gauze, which turn in the liquid, and so present wet surfaces tothe air-blast passing off from the drying-cylinders, as it passesthrough this cylinder. The object in this is the retention of any smallparticles of lead,that might otherwise be carried off with the escapingair-blast.

In the drawings, Figure 1 'is partly in side elevation and partly invertical axial section. Fig. 2 is a transverse section at line a; as,Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section.

A is thef hopper, into which the wet lead is fed. This hopper dischargesinto the cylinder B, which forms the upper one of a vertical series ofsimilar cylinders that may be more or less in number, (four are shown inthe drawing.) The cylinder B is surrounded by an outer cylinder, B,concentric therewith, so as to form an annular steam space or jacket, b,between the cylinders. This cylinder and the similar ones, 0 O, D, andE, of the series are secured and supported at the ends by hollowstandards or trunks F G, with which they are in communication at bothends. Through the center of each cylinder passes a rotating shaft, H,carrying a screw-conveyer, I. This screw is preferably made insemicircular sections i, so placed in the shaft as'to make a jog in thespiral, which has the effect of slicing up and mixing the "material aseach section would cut the mass in a fresh place. The shafts H havejournal-bearing in boxes J secured to the removable plates K fixed inapertures in the outer sides of the trunks opposite the end of eachcylinder, so .that by the re-.

moval of the plates or heads K the screwshafts may be drawn out, andaccess had to the interior of the cylinders. The shafts have spur-wheelsL engaging together, as shown, so that the shafts have alternately (inthe series) rotation in opposite directions to cause the material to beconveyed alternately to the right and left in the cylinders. The trunksF and G have transverse divisions M to arrest the descent of thematerial at the bottom of the cylinder that it is proper for it toenter. At the lower end of the trunk F is a closereceiver, N, into whichthe dried material drops. 0- is a steam-pipe, having branch pipes 0communicating with the'annular steam-spaces b between the cylinders. Pis a waste-pipe, connecting with the spaces b at the bottom, andconveying away the water of condensation, and discharging it into aclose receiver, Q. R is a pipe, through which an air-blast is con veyedinto the lower end of trunk F. This blast is preferably a hot blast; buta cold blast would answer the purpose, as it would become heated in itspassage through the steam-heated cylinders. The blast is shown aspassing through the cylinders in the opposite direction to the materialbeing dried, this being its proper course, so that the dry air shallcome in contact with the dried lead, and the air dampened by contactwith the wet lead shall be at once discharged. The dampened air escapesfrom the upper end of the trunk F into a cylinder, S, in which rotates ashaft, T, carrying a number of gauze-cones, U, partly immersed inliquid, as shown. The -object of this is to arrest 'any escaping dust ofwhite lead that may be suspended in the air-blast.

In the use of the machine in drying other materials this apparatus S T Umight be dispensed with.

The upper cylinder B, and perhaps one or more of the others, should beof copper, or coplined, or faced with some metal which would cause nodiscoloration of the lead, and the conveyer-screws and shafts working inthe wet lead should be also composed or coated in like manner. In short,all the metallic surfaces with which the wet lead comes in contactshould be of metal that will impart no discoloration thereto.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section, illustrating the joint between thecylinders and the trunks. In this a rubber gasket, 0, is used, having abearing on the trunk and the two cylinders, so as to make a steam-tightjoint.

The operation is as follows: The wet. lead or other material enters thehopper A, and passes into the end of the cylinder B in proximitythereto. It is then conveyed to the other end of the cylinder, anddescends the trunk G to the division M, and is carried through thecylinder 0 to the trunk F, from which it goes to the cylinder D withinD, and so on to the closed receiver N. The air-blast enters the trunk Fat its lower end and passes through the cylinders E D O B in the ordernamed, and then passes through that S, where it comes in contact withthe gauze cones or plates U, and is allowed to escape.

It will be observed that the white lead or other material is subjectedto the action of the air while being stirred by the conveyers, whereasin all processes for drying white lead previously in use, within myknowledge, the material has beenleft at rest upon copper or other trayswhile subjected to the drying action of the air.

I claim- 1. The combination of the steam-cylinders of the dried materialand preventing the escape of the air, substantially as herein set forth.

3. In combination with the blast-pipe R, trunks F and G, cylinders B B 0O, &c., and screw conveyer I, the cylinder S, and rotating plates orcones U, substantially as set forth, and for the purpose stated.

I EDMUND L. MORSE. Witnesses:

Sm. KNIGHT, ROBERT BURNS.

